PESHAWAR, March 25: Four policemen were wounded in a rocket attack by militants near Darwazgai area of Matni on the outskirts of Peshawar while 18 people suffered injuries when an unknown saboteur threw an explosive device at a rickshaw in the limits of Faqirabad police station on Friday.

An official of Matni police station said that their beat staff was on a routine patrolling when militants fired a rocket at their armoured personnel carrier (APC) on Indus Road near Darwazgai at about 1:30am.

He said that four policemen injured in the attack were identified as Akhtar Nawaz of Badbher, Zahidullah of Sufaid Dheri and Attaur Rehman and Mohammad Asif of Matni.

The injured policemen are in a stable condition at the Lady Reading Hospital, he said and added that the APC was damaged in the attack. The official said that Darwazgai area was close to semi-tribal Darra Adamkhel and Arbab Tapo locality of Peshawar and the search operation had been launched for the attackers.

In Peshawar, at least 18 people, including a policeman, were injured when unknown saboteurs threw an explosive device at a rickshaw in limits of Faqirabad police station on Friday evening.

“It was an explosive device, which was hurled by an unidentified terrorist at an auto rickshaw,” said a police official.

An injured girl, Amina, told police at the Lady Reading Hospital that a cyclist came close to the try-wheeler she was travelling in and threw the bomb on them. “I do not know the person as we have no enmity,” she stated.

An official of the Bomb Disposal Unit told Dawn that it was an explosive which contained pebbles packed in a cloth, mainly used on the occasion of marriages. However, he said that it was bigger in size that those usually used during wedding parties.

The official said that there was no marriage procession on the occasion and the motives behind the act could not be ascertained.

However, SP city Imtiaz Shah avoided giving details and said that it was a cracker. He said that investigation was underway in this regard.

Some of those injured in the incident were identified as Zakir, Muneer, Abdul Wahab, Bashir Mohammad, Akram, Amjad, Khyal, Attaullah, Samiullah, Yousuf, Amina, Irshadul Haq, Shahid, Said Mohammad, Abdul Wahid, Suhail, Madad Khan and Faisal.

A source at the LRH said that people had suffered burn injuries as the cylinder used in the rickshaw had also exploded. Most of the victims have suffered burn injuries, he said and added that the rickshaw driver was in a critical condition. Faqirabad police have registered a case against unknown terrorists. It was learnt that police had arrested three suspects from the area where the explosion took place.